Dunmore Coach 3D Ornament

Product Description

Evocative of the horse-drawn conveyances that transported the royal governors of Virginia, this handsome 3-dimensional coach ornament is crafted of solid brass with a 18K gold wash finish. Expensive and elegant, an 18th-century town coach bespoke money, position, and privilege. Owners were generally rich or aristocratic or both, and on either side of the Atlantic, the town coach became an icon of status.

The Dunmore carriage is a reproduction based off an advertisement by coachmaker Elkanah Deane in the Virginia Gazette of October 23, 1773: "I made, in the city of New York, for his Excellency the Right Honorable the Earl of Dunmore, a coach, phaeton, and a chaise, which may now be seen by any gentleman that has an inclination." The coach bears Dunmore's coat of arms which includes two "savages," a wild beast, a knight's helmet, stars, checkerboard patterns, and the motto Furth Fortune, a Latin contraction for: "Go forth and good fortune attend you."

This sparkling collectible arrives in a green felt lined clear plastic box with a story card.

Features

Historic Area 3-D ornament featuring Lord Dunmore's coach
Solid brass with 18K gold wash
4"L x 2"H
Wipe clean
Gift packaged with story card
Made in the USA
WILLIAMSBURG exclusive!

Inspiration

Lord Dunmore and his wife Charlotte Stewart had seven children. In 1774 Charlotte and six of the children made the crossing to America to join their husband and father in Williamsburg. Within the year, another child, Virginia, was born. The Governor's Palace was the family's official residence, but Dunmore had earlier purchased a private plantation, Porto Bello, not far outside Williamsburg.

The Gunpowder Incident of April 1775 marked a dramatic change in Lord Dunmore's political fortunes. His unpopularity forced him to abandon the Palace and seek safety with his family on a British ship. The family soon returned to Scotland, while Lord Dunmore gathered naval and loyalist forces to fight the rebellious colonists.